


don’t be shy, take courage

by noljagolcha (daelighthwi)



Category: Golden Child (Korea Band)
Genre: M/M, i finally wrote something else, i really hate the golden child tag like tf is korea band, its an ikea au!!, its dongchan, stupid i know don t judge me, typically i'd prefer dongminchan or bomhyun but jeremy asked for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 02:31:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13537806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daelighthwi/pseuds/noljagolcha
Summary: Donghyun just doesn't want to get kicked out of Gamma Nu Chi Delta.In which Donghyun gets lost at IKEA and Joochan has a great sense of direction.





	don’t be shy, take courage

**Author's Note:**

> To my twitter brother Jem who said I absolutely have to write this. So I did. leave um feedback?? in the comments and i can edit weehu thanks to that one guest who gave me a kudos ily already

Donghyun enters IKEA with a goal in mind. He needs to get Swedish meatballs for a party, nothing more and definitely nothing less.

But ever since they walked past the strange potted cactus with a bald patch for the 5th time, Donghyun had had the slightest inkling that they were lost.

As they pass by the potted cactus for the 7th time, Donghyun is almost completely sure.

By the time Donghyun catches sight of it for the eighth time in the same hour, he _knows_ that they’re completely and utterly lost.

He turns to (Jooheon? Jootan? Joochan?) and asks a question that’s been lingering in his mind for quite some time now. “Hey,” he begins, “Do you actually know where we are?"

The IKEA employee turns a bright shade of red. “I do?” He says, his reply coming out more like a question than a statement. He leads them past a maze of mirrors that Donghyun wonders why is even there. “I mean, IKEA is quite big, so we might have to wander a bit to find our way-

“-We’ve passed by the same plant for the eighth time.” Donghyun interrupts, “Are there just multiples or…?”

“No,” the employee (whose name is Joochan, Donghyun notes) says sheepishly. “There’s only one in this entire building.”

Donghyun blinks. “So you’re lost.”

"No, I'm not." Joochan replies stubbornly. 

Donghyun glares.

An exhale. “Yes I am.”  
A cough. “We both are.”

Donghyun sighs. He wasn’t expecting this whole mess. All he wanted were the internationally famous meatballs that IKEA sells by the bag. The responsibility fell to him, vice president of Gamma Nu Chi Delta, to supply 7 other hungry seniors and many, many other juniors and potential members of the fraternity with the best quality meatballs he can find.

(It's no secret that some potentials actually do drop by just to taste the quality of the food typically served at the fraternities; especially the food science majors. He isn't going to be the one to deter them from the best fraternity with the richest history in the university.)

He’d promised to bring some over to the annual party held by the fraternity and the members would be torn to discover that he’d not only gotten himself lost and died an untimely death amongst scented candles and a cactus with a bald patch, but he’d also failed to bring the meatballs and continue the tradition.

“Do you have anyone we can call to get us out?” Donghyun asks, already feeling his chest tighten with fear. He really hates it when he gets all emotional like this over something so tiny like getting lost in IKEA with a stupid employee who doesn’t even know the way out.

He lifts up his sleeve to scrub at his eye as discreetly as possible, avoiding Joochan’s curious eyes but ultimately failing, Joochan notices anyway.

“H-hey! Why are you crying!” Presumably out of nowhere, Joochan whips out a tissue. “Don’t cry!”

“I can’t help it!” Donghyun hisses, shooting a teary glare at Joochan as the tears keep falling, “I’m lost in the middle of IKEA and I can’t find the meatballs I need and I’m going to get kicked out of my fraternity, lose my dignity, all respect - and it’s all your fault!”

“My fault?” Joochan looks and _sounds_ offended, even to himself. “Hey now, what exactly did I do?”

“You’re the one who got us even more lost than I initially was Donghyun pokes a finger in the middle of Joochan’s chest angrily, “What kind of IKEA employee doesn’t know their way around?”

“In my defense,’ Joochan says, “I’ve never been left alone on my own! IKEA is big, okay? And all the furniture look the same! How am I supposed to tell the difference between this lamp and that other one which look _exactly the same_?”

Donghyun doesn’t respond, choosing instead to flop down on a nearby bed. He huffs in annoyance, crossing his arms. Maybe he should’ve asked another employee, one who actually pays attention to their surroundings.

“Joochan!” Someone yells, as a shadow materialises suddenly from the peripherals of Donghyun’s vision. “There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

Both Donghyun and Joochan turn to look at the newcomer in unison. “You are?” They say, their voices a distinct mix of surprise (Joochan) and relief (Donghyun).

“Sure I have!” The other employee, a tall-ish man with jet black hair and almond-shaped eyes replies exuberantly. “We’re supposed to be at the designing area, you know, actually designing the model room sets on display?”

Joochan claps a hand over his forehead. “Right! That's what I was supposed to do!” He turns to leave, but is stopped by Donghyun’s hand tugging insistently on his sleeve.

“Wait, so you’re just going to leave me here?” Disbelief colours Donghyun's voice. Joochan looks as if he’d never considered taking Donghyun with them and helping him out of the confuddling labyrinth that was the depths of IKEA and this sets Donghyun into a frenzy.

“Look here Joochan and Jiboom-”

“-Jibeom, actually. Nevermind, continue-”

“Okay, sorry Jibeom,” Donghyun relents, “But could you actually guide me to the exit? Or at least the frozen food isle. I need those frozen meatballs.”

“Sure,” JIbeom shrugs. “All you have to do, actually, is walk straight ahea-”

He is cut off abruptly by Joochan slamming a hand over his mouth.  “Ahahaha,” he laughs flatly, turning to Donghyun, “You’d still probably get lost! Why don’t I walk you there?” He drops his hand to his side, quickly wiping it on his pants with an expression of disgust.

Jibeom seems satisfied with this suggestion. “No better person to bring you to where you need than Joochan!” He says, clapping Joochan on the back. “I’ll go to the design area first to work with Jaehyun on the type of wood and the types of fabrics."

Donghyun wants to protest. He just got lost walking around in circles past that stupid cactus with its stupid missing leaves together with Joochan who claimed to not know the way at all, contradicting his earlier statement, and _now_ Jibeom wants to leave _him_ with Joochan alone; with him as his only guide?

He shakes his head. “Wait, Jibeom! Are you sure about this? I don’t think Joochan really knows the way.”

“Trust him!” Jibeom shouts back, “It’ll be fine. Joochan knows this floor like the back of his hand. You’ll get to where you need in no time.”

With that, Jibeom is gone, leaving Donghyun alone with a very sheepish-looking Joochan. He sighs, a deep one of long-suffering, and taps his foot on the ground. “Well?” He tilts his chin upwards and raises his eyebrow, “What was that all about?”

“Which?” Joochan laughs nervously. “The getting lost part or the knowing this place so well I could walk through it blindfolded part?”

“How about the lying to me about being clueless part? Look, I could’ve gotten my meatballs and left so much sooner if you’d just shown me the right way-”

“But then I wouldn’t be able to spend time with you.” Joochan looks away shyly. “This whole thing, was a plot to spend time with you. I’m sorry for wasting your time.” He sighs. “I just thought you were cute and I knew there wasn’t a way we’d be able to actually talk or spend time together and I - acted on impulse, I guess.”

He begins to walk straight ahead and Donghyun trails behind, mind still quite muddled.

Donghyun blinks. This just became a whole lot more complicated. He wrings his hands together nervously. “I don’t know what to say.”

“If you’re going to laugh at me,” Joochan says miserably, “Go ahead. My pride’s already been damaged.”

“I’m not going to laugh at you.” Donghyun says offhandedly,  “It’s just surprising, is all. No one’s told  me that I was cute before.”

“No one?” Joochan asks, stopping in his tracks abruptly, eyes widening in disbelief. Donghyun isn’t ready for this and accidentally bumps into Joochan, leaping backwards with an endless stream of apologies falling from his lips. “Absolutely no one?” He chokes. “Are they blind?”

“I don’t suppose so but-”

“Are they _blind_?” Joochan stresses, “You’re literally so cute.”

Donghyun can practically feel his face growing red at the straightforward compliment. He really isn’t used to being praised, especially for his looks. “Um, thanks?”

Joochan seems to grow shy and looks away, gently nudging Donghyun to get him moving again to the frozen food section. They walk the rest of the way in silence, leaving Donghyun to his thoughts.

Despite the initial fiasco with supposedly getting lost (on Joochan’s part; poor Donghyun really was very lost) in the middle of the basement in IKEA, Joochan seems like a pretty decent guy. In fact, Donghyun muses to himself, Joochan might be kind of cute.

Only maybe.

Just a little bit.

Suddenly, without warning, Joochan stops again and stiffly holds out his hand. Donghyun stares at it with apprehension. Is he expecting him to take it, or…?

“Here we are.” Joochan says, looking slightly sadder than when Donghyun had first asked him for help, “At the frozen food aisle. Payment counter is on the right and after that you just walk straight, turn left and there’s the exit.” His smile droops at the corners. "I guess it's goodbye then." He turns on his heel and begins to shuffle away slowly, shoulders hanging low as his feet drag against the ground. 

Donghyun nearly snorts at the dramatic display, turning to the freezer to grab his meatballs, buy them and get back home, but he cannot deny that even he does feel a little sad about having to say goodbye to the strange IKEA employee.

He picks up the Swedish meatballs, and as he turns the bag of frozen food in his hands carefully, an idea occurs to him. Parties are parties, he supposes, Gamma Nu Chi Delta probably won’t mind if he brings a plus one, right?

After all, this plus one did help Donghyun get out of the IKEA labyrinth with the cactus with the strange bald patch and obtain the Swedish meatballs he’d spent the entire afternoon trying to get.

Plucking up his courage, Donghyun turns to Joochan hurriedly and catches his sleeve before he can go. “Hey wait,” He says, as Joochan turns slowly, still looking rather dejected. “Are you free this evening? For a party,” He clarifies, lamely shaking the bag of frozen meatballs at Joochan.

Joochan scrunches up his nose. “I think I am, I’ll still have to check-”

“Great,” Donghyun cuts him off, beaming brightly at him. “See you there. Give me your number.” He whips out his phone and keys in the passcode. “I’ll text you the details. I bet Gamma Nu Chi Delta will be glad to have you.” Joochan's radiant smile is the best answer that he could have gotten, and he feels the warmth of the smile filling him from head to toe. 

It's nice to see Joochan smile, Donghyun thinks.

He ends up leaving IKEA with the Swedish meatballs he needs, a new number saved in his phone and a date to the annual Gamma Nu Chi Delta party. 

**Author's Note:**

> also to my Bubu (the pig, not Donghyun) who i had to take a trip around IKEA (all of the heckin floors) to buy. sorry if it's not up to standard ajsbksjbdaj i wrote this late at night(ish) and i haven't written anything in a long time oof  
> talk to me on twitter @noljagolcha yell at me idk


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